Mukhbiir

Starring: Sameer Dattani, Om Puri, Jackie Shroff, Suneil Shetty, Sushant Singh, Rahul Dev

You may have watched terrorist movies under varied themes: the most common being a terrorist on the run from the Interpol, a Gangster's love story, a don running a Company (RGV fame), a Satya and perhaps more.

But have you ever given a thought about the 'informer' who tips off the cops about the 'terrorist'? His life? or even his mere anonymous existence? The answer is a big NO.

The first rushes of Mukhbiir would make you think that its one of those 'run-of-the-mill' terrorist movies. But as the scenes unfold, each layer of the movie reveals new details you would never have imagined.

Kailash (Sameer Dattani) as the protagonist, plays his role of an anonymous informer with aplomb. Like other police officers, the local SP (Om Puri), also picks up Kailash in one of the rounds and uses him as his informer for dangerous operations. From helping the police to find a naxal leader to exposing the top brass of the police department involved in drug trafficking and global organ trade, he leads a dark, anonymous existence. Apart from this, with every operation, Kailash has to change his appearance and even religion to protect the operation and his identity.

For a police officer, his Mukhbiir is his biggest asset to cracking cases and in this case, Om Puri is under pressure at all times, to reveal the name of his informer. Mukhbiir empathises with this informer whose life is quite unstable, and often unpredictable. It borders on the extremes as he has to put his life in danger at all times.

So as to not make it look like parallel cinema, Mani has even managed to insert a love angle with Raima Sen playing Sameer's love interest (just one scene!).

The film has spine chilling moments when Sameer is tortured by a gang to identify his cop 'friend' Om Puri and also when he is asked by gang leader (Sushant Singh) to shoot at a woman and child. Sameer's intense acting manages to Mani Shankar has managed to keep the film gripping towards the second half.

Perhaps the movie's USP lies in the fact that unlike other terror films, it focuses on the informer/informers who probably die in operations, remaining unknown.

The movie has its weak moments which have been overshadowed by some brilliant piece of acting. The musical score of the movie has been given by Illayaraja and Karthik Raja.

Whether it is protagonist Sameer Dattani who breaks his chocolate boy image, Sushant Singh as the cruel gangster warlord or Rahul Dev as a calculative, global terror leader, Suneil Shetty and Om Puri as the honest cops - director Mani Shankar has managed to keep the intensity of the film and the audience focus on the theme. And unlike other terror films, it focuses on the informer/informers who probably die in operations, remaining largely unknown.

This movie may not be a song-and-dance one, but it will surely give you something to take back and cherish!

Mirroring Persia in frames...

Veils, iron curtain, underground schools, war, veiled women with guns ('Nuns with guns' was the most famous caption for these women) ... these are the images of Iran that come to mind. Iran is indeed an elusive Islamic republic! But I realised there's more to this tiny country. The book Persian Mirrors written by an Italian scribe exposes the fallacies of Iran's rulers and clergymen who ruled Iran for decades and in the name of Islam's tenets, how they instilled fear among women, so much so they all got closeted within the four doors of a household/gym/private parties!! Whether it is Khamanei, Khomenei, or Mohammad Khatami: authority has not managed to put down the Iranian women. They all seem to have carved their own niche in society; they run their own business, are doctors, lawyers and even sportswomen. Some women featured in the book have shown remarkable courage in speaking out openly against authority, have courted arrest. One of the women's newspaper even faced shutdown thrice. Yet she continued her fight for women's rights unrelentlessly!
At the end of it all, the book manages to shatter many myths and perceptions about Iran! The USPs of this book: the author's narrative abilities! What totally appealed to me is Elaine's courage to have gone to Iran and reported events over 3 decades - sometimes even putting her own life in danger (covering the hostage crisis and the Iran-Iraq war) - the signs of a true journalist!
This is one of the best books that I've read and strongly recommend to everyone out there... :)

Love bein' single!!

Here I am back again with my set of contradictions...Deny this or not, I am sure that at some point in life, you surely would have loved the feeling of being single!! Yeah I still feel the need for that 'someone' special...Thank god! I hv not yet reached the cynicism levels of some older frnds of mine who are 'technically' single and depressed. I still do have a ray of hope here - that I will someday meet that 'special' one! Hmm...anyways, singlehood doesnt always mean your relationship sans a partner! It could simply even be a bent of mind - doing things your way, handling ur own finances, living on your own in a strange city (Read Sushmita Bose's column 'Single in the City' in HT!!). Its your faith in yourself that matters at the end of the day! Anyway, since I hate getting preachy, I will stop right here! My personal experience with relationships has taught me to be independent - mostly in my thoughts! Thats because I have been independent otherwise in all spheres (thanks to my parents!). I have always seen that somewhere, somehow, and all the time, I have been for my friends during their distress times, but when I needed them during my crisis period, I'd always end up being alone (dont blame my frnds at all for that - its all circumstances!). So all that made me keep my feelings to myself...handle all my crisis on my own as I hate being judged! Some may think its being snobbish...but that is also a part of 'singlehood', I guess! So being single is not as boring/negative as its universally perceived. Having faith in yourself is the core idea of any relationship (with oneself/friends/lover/parents) . They say: If your bond with yourself is strong, then u can succeed in any relationship in life!! You would never even have to try!! People perceive relationships as a tool to reduce their loneliness and as a panacea to their singlehood. But it never works that way: fortunately or unfortunately! You could even remain depressed even with that special someone. I have strengthened myself to the hilt that I can stand alone with my head held high! So now all u guys, now u know why I am called 'Pozicool'!! :)

Love bein' single...

Here I am back again with my set of contradictions...Deny this or not, I am sure that at some point in life, you surely would have loved the feeling of being single!! Yeah I still feel the need for that 'someone' special...Thank god! I hv not yet reached the cynicism levels of some older frnds of mine who are 'technically' single and depressed. I still do have a ray of hope here - that I will someday meet that 'special' one! Hmm...anyways, singlehood doesnt always mean your relationship sans a partner! It could simply even be a bent of mind - doing things your way, handling ur own finances, living on your own in a strange city (Read Sushmita Bose's column 'Single in the City' in HT!!). Its a misconception that you can share love with your partner/peers only if you are physically with them!!

Yeh hai Bombay meri jaan!

Chaats....pani puri....bhel puri...paapri chaat...Chinese dosa, sandwich....smells still waft through, filling my senses! The familiar smells in Crawford market...un galiyon mein chalna...doing window shopping on Fashion street...then going to 'khau galli' near Churchgate...Goin all the way to Fountain to buy books (mostly bargaining) and that too in the searing heat of Mumbai! Those were the best days of my life!!!
So it was but natural that I would have also read 'Maximum City' by Suketu Mehta (I guess every proud Mumbaiikar has read it!) ...I drank in that book...'coz i am so familiar wid every nook n cranny...evry galli...of apunka Bombay (i still hate the name Mumbai)!! Anyways..each time I visit Bombay, nostalgia overtakes my soul and stirs me! There's certainly some pull from this amazing city - no other city (amongst the 5 cities that I've lived in) has pulled my heart's strings and chords so much!! I still feel envious of my frnds who r a part of this little island, pushes me a li'l bit more to get engulfed in its populace!
This city was the first to give me MY OWN IDENTITY!! A diffident child that i was - this land gave me confidence to hold my head high amongst the millions who travel to this city every day....I became independent thanks to this city! 'A Bombayiite will remain one forever' - i do believe this maxim thoroughly now!! 'Coz being in Delhi - has still not changed the Bombayiite in me...and no Thackeray can ever dare to change that!

A roller coaster ride in an amusement park called LIFE!!

I've never ever in my whole life ever gone to an amusement park. I was forever scared of heights, depths, water...and most importantly since childhood, i've always had a FEAR OF FALLING!!! At all times, I've been a 'safe-playing' person...and yet all the disasters happened wid me - the worst injuries happened to me (thankfully not to my frnds - who probably were more risk taking and more adventurous than me!). Whenever anything bad happened - i would start crying and was made fun of by my uncles who actually got a bucket to fill my tears...Yet everytime i fell - i learnt something new. Everytime there was a crisis - i learnt to handle myself! My first being when my grandfather passed away (when i was in sixth) - I cried n cried and believe it or not - i visualised myself and then my parents dying in a few years (i used to count on my little fingers the number of years i'd hve to pass out frm school...)...I was this insecure about life...Then it felt wat it was to sit on a roller coaster in Essel World/a Veegaland etc....Little was i to know that death was not the only thing i'd hv to learn to battle out with - there was more in God's list of 'experiences' tat i was supposed to have...heartbreaks, my first crush, my first kiss, first love, college, studies and probably more to come... I even kept this 'Imagine the worst' policy to buffer me frm disaster - but God turned even cleverer - he twisted and turned everything that came my way - he confused me all the time - if i proposed - God disposed! The moment I got a comfort zone for myself - he made sure I am displaced yet again! I hv lived in 5 cities now (Mumbai, Coimbatore, Kottayam, Bangalore n now Delhi!). Again I am wary - its 2 years here - after this where, what! I have this unique way of dealing wid my surroundings (cities) which probably gets me adjusted 2 whichever place I go to...Thanks to God...now I have stopped looking for stability...love...dreams...watever i wanted in my life! I just flow wid life and God's plans and dont dare swim against the tide...become kinda laidback - say "God has his plans for me". Dont know whether this happens wid everyone...yet...my whole life revolves around "TO BE OR NOT TO BE"...wat about u guys? Huh, wasnt reading this a roller coaster ride for u all...am sure it was...:)

Second love et al....

Hmm...i was damn jittery when i got to know I AM IN LOVE yet again! I actually began 2 think whether I'd hit gold again. They say: Once bitten is twice shy! Probably i am going thru one of thos phases: Should I/not...This was quite inevitable - After my first breakup, I had become unusually high-strung! I was becoming way too lonely...was living a miserable single life and wid no ray of light in the 'dark clouds' of my life, I was searching for HOPE. Perhaps I was turning pessimistic too. All day and night i simply prayed to God to take me away somewhere...i even tried wat the 'others' do when depressed - i attempted suicide! My life was going to the drains/dogs/and wat not...Lonely in Bangalore - i sought solace in my buddies who were there for me throughout in Bangalore...I took 2 partying whenever possible...(beer, vodka et al) - not that i became an addict. But just to defeat Life/God and the person who 'broke' my heart! I was taking vengeance with everyone/anyone who spoke against me (my parents too were not spared). After a lot of coaxing frm Dad, I decided to move to Delhi (for good)...i dedicated my entire time to work....(literally 24x7)...anyways, i decided to start life afresh! My best time in my career was the Mumbai Project...a 20-day project which changed my ENTIRE life...Soon after i met a buddy who accepted me for wat i was (whole n soul!)...Later i realised I was fast falling in LOVE...but as usual 'the second love bit' felt a li'l bit jinxed! Watever it was - he made me realise that I was actually in luv etc....i never took it seriously for fears that i might lose this frndshp...Its 4 months for our relationship on April 10th. I dont regret this 'relationship' even one bit as this isnt like the 'other' relationship which didnt even work...At times, i do think the pain of this relationship might leave scars...yet strangely enough, I feel happiness and positive energy flowing through me as though I am on another cosmos/planet, whenever I think of him...There's this one thing i learnt frm another frnd - "Every relationship doesnt come with a life-time guarantee tag..." So live life as it comes and most of all - dont lose the ppl who love/cherish u more than u love/cherish them..they maybe the ones who might stick by u all ur life!! So....SECOND LOVE is not all that bad, eh!